"My mommy and daddy's kisses and hugs," says Emily, 5. There are a lot of kids who wish they had it so good. Loving parents can lay the foundation for life in their children.

"Making my mom laugh and telling her jokes," says Madison, 5.

Thank the Lord if your mom has a sense of humor. I'll never forget the time my wife said something funny after my mom had just taken a sip of coffee. You guessed it. The coffee came spewing forth in a way that no Starbucks® has ever seen.

"My family would say that making videos is one of the driving forces in my life," says Adam, 9.

After spending about two years producing a global video series to introduce children to the work of missionaries, I can identify with Adam. For a time, it seemed as if it were all-consuming. I learned that life has seasons. There are seasons when we must focus on one goal, but that goal must never replace keeping our hearts and minds focused on the Lord.

Hannah, 8, says that cheerleading is a driving force in her life, but she's keeping it in perspective: "If we go to another state for competition, I can tell them about God, that he died on the cross for our sins."

The Bible says that whatever we do should be done as unto the Lord. As ambassadors for Christ, we are always on duty to speak words of life to others and to back them up with our actions.

Even in a cheerleading competition, you can do it with grace. Sure you want to win, but the key is keeping your focus on the larger goal, which is to glorify God in all you do. You'll find that God will give you a peace and poise that you won't have when winning becomes everything.

A driving force can easily become a consuming force. And when it does, you've lost perspective. You're out of control. I can remember times when tennis seemed to take over my life. It seems silly now.

Keeping your focus on God allows you to gain perspective from even a competitive situation. Walking with God will give you the bigger picture on any situation.

Let's take the cheerleading competition as an example. What's more important? Winning a cheerleading competition, or the eternal destiny of the competitors?

We tend to see what we're looking for. Our expectations color everything. If we believe that God is at work in people's lives and circumstances, the way we respond to situations will be radically different than if we believe that everything happens by chance. Instead of doing "random acts of kindness" as the bumper sticker says, act kindly with the faith that God is working through you to accomplish his purpose.

A study done by Professor Vicki Medvec of Northwestern University discovered that bronze Olympic medalists were happier than silver medalists. Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning the gold. Bronze medalists thought about how close they came to not winning any medal.

Think about this: Driving forces in your life will never become all-consuming when you're living the Christ-centered life. A God's-grace perspective will keep you living free.

Memorize this truth: "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Colossians 3:23).